Rockabye
by ohcEEcho
Summary: The first time Wyatt saw his little brother, his nose wrinkled in distaste. But he learned to like him. Actually, he learned to love him. [brotherly love fic]
1. Chapter 1

**Rockabye**

**A/N: Sigh Well, I fought off the cuteness of the two brothers for a long, long time, but I've finally yielded. This is planned as a sequence of little snippets, showing different stages in Wyatt and Chris' relationship…**

**Disclaimer: I'm a scrawny, ginger British kid. Do I really look like the sort of person who would own Charmed? Well, even if you think so, I don't. Nuh uh. **

**Summary: The first time Wyatt saw his little brother, his nose wrinkled in distaste. But he learned to like him. Actually, he learned to love him. brotherly love fic**

**Enjoy!**

_**1.**_

_**Rockabye Baby**_

The first time Wyatt Matthew Halliwell saw his little brother, his nose wrinkled in distaste. The creature was very small; tiny even, and it seemed even more so cradled to his Daddy's chest.

He couldn't see properly, not even from his vantage point in Auntie Phoebe's arms. But he knew one thing for sure; he didn't like the thing. Not one little bit.

Daddy had taken the creature in to see Mummy, but Wyatt had not been allowed to go. He frowned at that. Why could the thing go while he couldn't? He wanted to see Mummy. Auntie Phoebe kept cooing in his ear, 'see Wyatt, that's your little brother!'

What did that mean?

After what seemed like ages, Daddy had come out, hastily wiping the tears from his face and smiling tiredly down at him. Wyatt reached out to him in silent demand, and Daddy had taken him into his arms, and then brought him to see Mummy.

Mummy was now holding the thing close to her chest; she looked tired, and her hair was all messy. Wyatt glared at the thing, this creature who had made Daddy cry and Mummy all tired.

"Look, Wyatt! Look! It's your brother, your little brother. Baby Chris, do you see?"

Wyatt clambered cautiously across the hospital bed, settling himself beside Mummy, staring down at the creature. He looked up at Mummy, who smiled, and kissed him gently on the forehead, then turned back to gaze lovingly down at the creature. No, the baby. Baby Chris.

Wyatt frowned, studying the baby closely.

A soft thatch of dark hair fell into the baby's face, making it seem even paler than it already was. It had round, chubby features, with a tiny nose and a tiny mouth. Wyatt wrinkled his nose as the baby's face scrunched up suddenly, and it made a quiet cooing sound, rather like the kittens he had seen on a farm once.

"Do you want to hold him, Wyatt? Here, let Mummy help you. Be very careful, alright sweetie? Don't drop him. That's it."

Mummy struggled to sit up, and pulled him close to her side, all the while holding the baby carefully. The blanketed bundle had begun to wriggle at the movement, and Wyatt could only stare as Mummy pulled him into her lap, and then laid the baby very gently on his legs, still supporting the baby's head with her arms around Wyatt.

"Oh, look, honey! He's waking up."

Mummy whispered, sharing an adoring glance with Daddy. Wyatt was glad, because Mummy and Daddy had been away from each other so long. He looked up at Mummy, who had leant up to kiss Daddy deeply on the lips. Then he looked back to the baby.

"Isn't he beautiful, Leo? Little Chris. Our little Chris."

Had it been this…baby, which had brought Mummy and Daddy together again? Wyatt stared at it. Little brother. Little baby brother. The words seemed foreign, strange. Wyatt blinked in surprise, as the baby gurgled, and then, its huge eyes, far too large for its little face, rolled drowsily open.

Wyatt bit his lip, cautiously looking back at the baby, whose eyes seemed to study him. Daddy's eyes. The baby had stolen Daddy's eyes! Or maybe…maybe Daddy had given his eyes to it.

The baby blinked Daddy's sea green eyes up at him, then his tiny mouth split into a toothless smile, and its chubby face lit up, gurgling happily. Wyatt's brow furrowed as a small hand reached upwards towards him, batting at the air below his very nose.

He looked at the hand for a moment, before automatically, he reached up his own hand and caught the tiny, hot fingers in his fist gently. The baby giggled, and Wyatt glanced up, to see Mummy and Daddy hugging each other tightly, smiling down at him.

He felt four soft little fingers close around his own little finger, and gasped, snapping his head around to look back down at the baby. The grip tightened, the tiny fingers curling around his, with tiny fingernails no bigger than the buttons on the baby's clothes.

He looked from the hand clutching his own, to the baby's contented face, smiling bright sea green eyes. It felt so weak, the delicate fingers around his own feeling as though they would break if he held them too hard. Mummy leant down and dropped a kiss to his hair, before reaching out to smooth the baby's hair.

"Oh, Wyatt, sweetheart. You've got a little brother. Isn't it wonderful?"

Wyatt shifted his arms around the baby, tentatively tugging the hand still clutching his back and forth, rocking him slowly. The baby gurgled and giggled, blinking trusting eyes up at him.

Well, it wasn't wonderful. But maybe it wasn't so bad, either.

**A/N: Well, this was more of preview than anything. Should I continue? I was thinking about making a sequence of oneshots following the brother's childhood…obviously any updates after this would be much longer.**

**Liked? Hated? Either way, comments are appreciated, so please review! Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks ever so much to all who reviewed! Well, here's the second instalment, about three months on from the last. I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I'm a scrawny, ginger British kid. Do I really look like the sort of person who would own Charmed? Well, even if you think so, I don't. Nuh uh. **

**Summary: The first time Wyatt saw his little brother, his nose wrinkled in distaste. But he learned to like him. Actually, he learned to love him. brotherly love fic**

**Enjoy!**

**_2._**

_**On the treetop**_

Wyatt groaned, as he tossed and turned in his cot bed, trying desperately to block out the continuous wailing coming from the room next door. He growled, and folded his pillow viciously over his head, covering his ears; yet still, the muffled cries persisted.

Earlier, he had heard Mummy padding softly across the corridor and making shushing sounds. For a while, the cries had stopped. Once Mummy had left, however, the quieter but still audible snuffles and cries had begun again.

Mummy had not come back this time.

Wyatt scrunched up his face and squeezed his eyes tightly shut, pressing down the pillow around his ears, but he could still hear. He sighed, and sat up, shaking his head to dispel his drowsiness. He rubbed his eyes with his fists, feeling slightly light-headed, before blearily looking around his darkened room.

He couldn't sleep, so he might as well play with something. Or make the noise stop, somehow. But his baby brother never shut up. Never. Not unless Mummy was feeding him, or he was playing with something. Baby brother was very annoying.

Wyatt listened hard, and found that the cries had dulled to a soft, weak sniffling that was somehow even more distracting than the wails. Wyatt felt a strange feeling fill his chest as he listened to the sounds of misery, and felt a sudden unexpected surge of anger towards Mummy. Why was she not coming to help baby brother?

Wyatt could stand it no longer. Snatching up teddy, he gritted his teeth and orbed out of the room in a shower of crystalline blue lights.

He re-appeared in the next room, Auntie Paige's old room, which was now filled with unpacked cardboard boxes and drying baby clothes on a rack. The cradle stood by the window, surrounded by a moat of cushions in case baby brother somehow fell out. Mummy was very silly when it came to baby brother.

He padded across the soft, pastel blue rug towards the cradle, craning his neck in order to peer over the topmost bar and see inside. A quilted blanket was thrown over the bar, embroidered with the same symbol Wyatt saw all over the house. It was a magic blanket, Mummy had said, which formed a small shield if it was needed. Baby brother couldn't shield like Wyatt could; Wyatt puffed out his chest at this thought.

He put teddy carefully down, and curled his hands around the painted wooden bars of the cradle. He stood on tiptoe, and glanced over the rim, squinting to see through the semi-dark.

Baby brother had gotten tangled up in his blankets, with a single pink foot sticking out at the bottom of the cradle. Baby brother grew very fast, and always needed new clothes. He kept wearing Wyatt's old ones, too. But Wyatt didn't mind, because he didn't fit into them anymore.

Wyatt cleared his throat, and leaned further over in order to talk to the baby properly.

"Chessie?"

He said quietly, and all at once the muffled cries stopped. Wyatt frowned. He couldn't quite say baby brother's name out loud, but he tried. Mummy sometimes called it 'peanut', but mostly called it 'Chris'. Baby brother frowned, eyes roving over Wyatt's face, before he gurgled excitedly.

Baby brother turned his head, wriggling and struggling to free himself from the tangle of blankets. He looked sadly up at Wyatt, big green eyes misting over with tears as his face scrunched up, about to start crying again.

"No, Chessie, me'll do it."

He didn't want baby brother to start crying again; then Mummy would come, and he wasn't supposed to be still awake. He reached inside between the bars of the cradle, and carefully tugged the blankets free, then tucking them clumsily around baby brother more comfortably.

Baby brother blinked, and then smiled a toothless smile, making appreciative gurgling sounds while he continued to watch his big brother. Wyatt felt something warm fill his chest, and when baby brother reached up two chubby hands to bat at his face, he contentedly reached down a hand so baby brother could play with it.

"Chessie, you no cry n'y more. Cos me wanna go sweepies an' me canna wiv you cwying. Ok?"

Baby brother only giggled some more, fascinated with Wyatt's fingers, but Wyatt found to his surprise that he didn't mind. For a long while, he stood in silence, enjoying the feeling of those tiny hands in his, and wondering what baby brother was trying to say to him with those strange sounds.

Eventually, his legs began to ache and his eyes began to droop, and he yawned widely. He drew his hand away, and bent to pick up teddy, getting ready to orb away now baby brother was quiet.

Baby brother squeaked as Wyatt left his sight, arms flailing in mid air, face scrunching up once again. Wyatt frowned, bending over the cot so baby brother could see him.

"Chessie, me t'wired! Me go to sweep!"

He said angrily, frustrated, and baby brother flinched at the tone and began to cry. Wyatt stared wildly around, listening for any sounds from Mummy's room, but no footsteps came. He breathed a heavy sigh in relief, and turned back to where baby brother was sniffling.

Whenever he couldn't get to sleep, Mummy always used to sing to him. Or read stories, but that was only when he had been good, and baby brother was being very bad. Besides, Wyatt couldn't read properly yet.

"Ok, Chessie. M' gonna sing a song, like Mummy, and then you go to sweep. Ok? Me sing, then you no cwy no more."

Baby brother stared silently up at Wyatt, seemingly caught in indecision over whether to start crying again. Wyatt hastily swallowed, frowning in concentration as he struggled to remember the words Mummy sang to him every night:

"Wock a bye baby, on the twee top. When the wind b'ows, the c-radel will wock. When the b'wow b'eaks, the c-radel will fall…and dow' will come Chessie, c-radel an' all!"

Baby brother blinked, smiled, made a half-hearted giggling sound, then yawned widely. Wyatt grinned, as baby brother inexpertly rubbed at his cheek with a clenched fist, eyes drooping.

Exhausted himself, Wyatt plopped down on the soft carpet, groping about for teddy in the dark. Glancing around at the room, he shivered, and muttered tiredly to the emptyness:

"Blankie."

Immediatly, his blanket appeared beside him in a swirl of bright blue orbs, and he snatched it up, enfolding himself within it and snuggling down in a curled ball on the floor. He found himself smiling drowsily as he listened to the soft, whispered breathing of baby brother above him.

"Nigh' nigh', Chessie."

He murmured, before falling into a contented sleep, the smallest of smiles remaining on his lips as he dreamed of castles and dragons, and wicker baskets swinging gently from treetops in the Spring breeze.

**A/N: I'm not entirely sure how old Wyatt is supposed to be in the series, but judging by comparison to children I know, I'd say he looks about three. Although I don't think Wyatt's actual singing would put Chris to sleep, the sound of something familiar might help calm him so…or maybe Wyatt's just a good singer, who knows?**

**Liked? Hated? Either way, comments are appreciated, so please review! Thanks again for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Wow, thanks, you guys! I'm glad you liked it so much! This one's about nine months on from the last, so Chris is getting close to one. As requested, I've got an interlude from Piper POV. Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I'm a scrawny, ginger British kid. Do I really look like the sort of person who would own Charmed? Well, even if you think so, I don't. Nuh uh. **

**Summary: The first time Wyatt saw his little brother, his nose wrinkled in distaste. But he learned to like him. Actually, he learned to love him. brotherly love fic**

**Enjoy!**

_**3.**_

_**When the wind blows**_

"Aiee-at! Aiee-at!"

Wyatt blinked as a brightly coloured baby's rattle was waved under his nose, and put his toy truck down as his baby brother continued to babble nonsense to him excitedly. He smiled. He liked listening to Chris' mindless chatter; it made such a change from the constant struggle to understand Mummy and all the grown up's, with their big words.

"You wanna play with me, Chrissy?"

He asked, and although Chris obviously did not understand him, his baby brother cocked his head to the side, his dark brown hair falling in his large green eyes. Chris immediately struggled to look at the offending strands, reaching up to bat at them. Unfortunately, he lost his balance and toppled over backwards.

Wyatt gasped and crawled over to where his brother was blinking in surprise, afraid he had hurt himself, but Chris only made a rasping noise with his lips and giggled. Wyatt frowned.

"You're very silly, Chris-o-fer."

He enunciated clearly, folding his arms sternly. Mummy always called Chris that when he had done something silly. Chris rolled over onto his stomach and struggled up onto his feet, standing unsteadily. He had only recently begun to walk about, and Wyatt wasn't entirely pleased about it. He found himself bound to follow his wayward brother whenever Chris wandered off, making use of his newfound legs.

Chris blinked up at him, wide eyed, then his brow furrowed, and he opened his mouth hesitantly, jabbing himself with a single chubby finger in the chest.

"Cessfer?"

Wyatt blinked, looking from his baby brother pointing at himself, babbling the phrase over and over, to his confused little face. Then he understood.

"Yeah. You're Chrissy, but Mummy says Chris-o-fer when you've been bad. And you worrie-ed me, so you were bad. So I called you Chris-o-fer."

Chris clapped his hands together, a wide grin splitting his dimpled cheeks, and he plopped himself down on the floor, still repeating the phrase over and over. Wyatt grabbed his truck, and sat down beside him, feeling slightly proud that he had taught Chris a new word. So far, the only recognisable phrases in-between baby-talk had been 'Da-da' and 'Ma-ma', with the exception of the occasional odd word, like 'teddy', and sometimes vague questions.

Satisfied that Chris was content to watch, Wyatt went back to his game. Over the floor of the conservatory, he had created a mini town for his fire truck to roam around in, including brightly coloured block houses and buildings in the form of cushions. He rolled the little red truck along, making 'nee naw' noises as he went.

"Aiee-at!"

Wyatt was interrupted once again as he found Chris toddling unsteadily over to him, having apparently grown bored with the discarded rattle. He clutched his favourite book, 'Cluck the duck & friends', carefully to his chest with sticky fingers.

Once he had reached his brother, Chris reached out a hand to point up at Wyatt, a frown of concentration on his face. Prodding Wyatt gently in the chest, he proclaimed proudly:

"Aiee-at!"

Before pointing at himself, and stating:

"Cessfer!"

Wyatt's mouth fell open. Oh, so that was why Chris had been babbling that word to him all morning! Truth be told, Wyatt had always been a little upset that Chris could say Mummy and Daddy's names, but not his. He knelt down so that he was at the same eye level as Chris.

"Wyatt? You mean me, Chrissy?"

He said quietly, pointing at himself, as Chris nodded his head vigorously, his brown hair tossing about his head. Chris clenched his fist nervously around his book, opening his mouth, then closing it, then opening it again and saying hesitantly:

"Ay…ee…at…?"

Wyatt smiled excitedly, reaching down to take his baby brother's hand in his, emphasising his next words by shakingChris' hand up and down as he spoke.

"Wy-att, Chrissy. Wy-att. Can you say Wyatt?"

Chris seemed to listen hard and watch Wyatt's lips intently, hesitated, then opened his mouth and said slowly:

"Wy…ee…at? Wy-ee-at?"

"Yeah! You di'd it, Chrissy!"

Wyatt laughed with joy, and lifted his baby brother up under the arms, swinging him around on impulse. Chris giggled and squealed in pleasure, all the while chanting breathlessly, continuing to do so even when Wyatt set him carefully down and they both collapsed in a flushed and giggling heap.

"Wy-ee-at! Wy-ee-at!"

Wyatt sat up, a wide grin plastered to his features, still laughing, while Chris jumped up and down clapping his hands as he continued to chant. Quite suddenly, Chris, dizzy and swaying on his feet, collapsed into Wyatt's chest, wrapping his short arms around his brother's waist and squeezing tightly, beaming up at him.

"Cessfer luv Wy-ee-at!"

He exclaimed, and Wyatt stared, blinked, then smiled a little in return, blushing. He awkwardly wrapped his arms around his brother in return, managing to mutter out an embarrassed:

"Um...I...loves you too, Chrissy."

Chris pulled away, still beaming, face alight with happiness and cheeks still flushed from the exhilaration of being spun around. He bent down, and retrieved his dropped book, presenting it almost shyly to his brother with a muttered:

"Wyee-at wed?"

Wyatt sat back against the conservatory table, pulling a cushion up to sit on, his truck forgotten. He took the book from his brother's hands, shifting around until he sat comfortably, cross legged on the floor.

"You...wan' me to read to you?"

Chris nodded, and without invitation, sat down in Wyatt's lap, leaning back into his brother's chest and pulling the book in front of him, opening it to his favourite page. It was in the middle, where all the characters were depicted ina farmyard.

Wyatt put a hand over his brother's to hold the book steady, and began to point out the different animals, struggling to remember their names from when Daddy had read him the book last night.

"Look, Chrissy, here's Cluck the duck! Quack quack!"

Chris squealed in delight at the funny noise, his hair tickling Wyatt's nose, and mimicked his brother's voice enthusiastically.

"Wack! Wack!"

Wyatt felt a strange feeling, like something warm growing in the pit of his stomach, as his brother squirmed in delight and continued to make 'quack quack' sounds. He felt so much smaller than him, his baby brother. And Mummy had said, since they had taken Chris' powers away, he had to protect him.

He had been annoyed at first. But if felt sort of…nice, now. To be needed by somebody. To be big and brave for his little brother, just like Daddy and Mummy were always big and brave for him.

"Wy kay?"

Wyatt started, glancing down to find Chris staring up at him worriedly with those big green eyes. He was biting his lip, brow furrowed. Wyatt smiled, and lightly tickled his brother's sides, making him giggle again.

"Yea, I'm 'kay, Chrissy. Look! There's...uh...Farmer Fred's tractor! Brrm brrrrrrrm!"

Chris bounced up and down in Wyatt's lap, clapping his hands once more, making brrm brrm noises before exclaiming:

"Wy wy unny!"

And so Wyatt continued to tell his brother about the lives of Farmer Fred and his animals, and once he had finished that, they moved on to 'Noah's Ark', and other stories Wyatt could remember Mummy or Daddy reading him. Piper Halliwell, arms filled with clean washing from the dryer, peeped into the conservatory to a sight which warmed her heart.

"Lookie, Chrissy, tha's a race car! Can you see it?"

The sun was spilling through the paned glass windows, shining off her eldest son's hair, and bathing the two brother's in an ethereal glow. She leant against the doorway and listened for a while, drinking in the sight, feeling more at peace than she had ever done in her life.

"See, the big red one is the fastest, so it goes whoosh and zoom instead of just brrm! An' this blue one…"

Wyatt's face was alight with happiness, as he eagerly showed his little brother all his favourite cars in the book he was reading to Chris. Chris, however, seemed more intent on blinkingcontentedly up at his brother's face, and although he didn't understand all Wyatt was saying, it seemed he was happy just to sit and listen to the sound of his voice.

"Woosh, boo, zoo!"

She had been concerned, initially. After the whole business of Wyatt orbing his brother away, in order to gain attention…but it all seemed forgotten now, in the warm, brightly lit sun lounge on a beautiful April morning.

"…an' when Daddy comes, we'll show him how you learned my name, an'…"

Suddenly a mild breeze blew up, gently caressing the lace curtains which hung at the window, mingling with Wyatt's soft, eager tones and Chris' joyful babbling. They carried on the breeze, and seemed to swirl all around her, filling her heart with proud joy as she watched her son's for just a moment longer.

For the rest of the day, to the pleasant but rather baffled surprise of anyone she came across, Piper Halliwell bore a contented smile which seemed to light up any room she entered.

**A/N: (Gets all mushy) Aw! (Clears throat hastily) A MASSIVE thanks to all who cleared up my queries about Wyatt's age, thanks guys! Next chapter should be a slightly bigger jump in time, to when Chris is about three (and a half) and Wyatt is almost six. **

**Feedback is love! I couldn't write this without you guys, so please review! Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: As ever, thanks so much for reviewing, you guys! **

**There was some confusion over Chris having his powers bound…I could have sworn they bind his powers as a baby in season 7. (Shrugs) Maybe I was wrong. Oh well, for the sake of continuity, call this an AU in the strictest sense and pretend they bound his powers for now, okay? Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: If you think I own Charmed, I strongly suggest you consult the nearest psychiatrist immediately for all our sakes…**

**Summary: The first time Wyatt saw his little brother, his nose wrinkled in distaste. But he learned to like him. Actually, he learned to love him. brotherly love fic**

**Wyatt is now almost six and Chris is three. Enjoy!**

_**4.**_

_**The cradle will rock**_

"Chris, sweetie, I need you to let go of Wyatt now. Come on. He has to go to school, and it's yourthird day of kindergarten. Aren't you excited?"

Chris shook his head violently from side to side, his dark hair falling into his eyes in disarray, and only clung tighter to his brother's waist at his mother's coaxing. Wyatt glanced up at the grandfather clock, sighing. They were already ten minutes late.

"Chris, sweetheart, please. Let go."

"NO! Wyatt no go! Wyatt stay play wiv Chrissy!"

It was late September, and Wyatt had just begun to stay the entire day at school, instead of the previous half. When he had first gone to school without his brother, Chris had been too young to fully understand and simply cried for hours until Wyatt came home. Before that they had gone to nursery together, so Chris had taken the loss of his brother for half the day rather badly.

Now, a year on, Chris was old enough to vaguely understand that Wyatt was going away for the whole day, and why. But he was also old enough to protest about it. Loudly. And it didn't help matters that he had decided he didn't like kindergarten, either.

"Me no go horrid ner-sry! Me stay wiv Wy!"

Although Wyatt found it quite touching that Chris was so attached to him, the daily morning session of crying, screaming and clinging was beginning to get a bit tiresome. He liked school, on the whole, and enjoyed going to class. And although he did miss his little brother something awful at times, he saw him in the morning and all evening, so it really wasn't so bad.

Of course, there was absolutely no use trying to explain that to Chris.

"Chris, let go, NOW. Before I count to three."

Piper employed her sternest tone in the vain hope Chris would be forced into submission, but her youngest son only scrunched up his face and pouted stubbornly, tightening his grip on his brother. Wyatt sighed, and tapped his little brother on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Chrissy, I hafta go to school, and you hafta go to kindergarten. I'll come see you at lunch, I promise!"

Chris' large eyes began to mist over with tears, as a heartbroken look marred his little face. Wyatt swallowed dryly, feeling a heavy, aching weight settle in his chest as his brother gazed up at him imploringly, saying sadly:

"Wy soun'd like Dada. Dada say he see Chrissy, then he no come. You'll no come, neither."

Chris abruptly let go of Wyatt as though he had betrayed him, and clasped his hands in front of him, eyes downcast and head bowed. Wyatt felt a fleeting surge of anger towards his father, but forced it to the back of his mind as tears began to stream silently down his little brother's face.

Wyatt knelt down in front of him at eye level, biting his lip, placing a hand on each of his brother's shaking shoulders.

"I'll come, Chrissy. I swear I will. I always do, don't I? I did yesterday."

He said gently, squeezing Chris' shoulder and forcing him to look up at him through a curtain of hair.

"I'll even bring you a lolly. Okay? A strawberry one. And I'll read you Puff the magic cat."

Piper watched in fond bewilderment as Wyatt carefully encouraged his brother into calm, and then manufactured a compromise. It always surprised her just how mature Wyatt was when it came to Chris. And just how well Wyatt could handle him; she sometimes wondered whether Wyatt knew Chris better than he knew himself.

"Wh'y cann-et Chrissy go wiv Wy? Me'll pwomise I be good. Pweese Wyatt."

Chris pleaded sorrowfully, and Piper saw Wyatt's face soften with a fond smile. Chris had always been a quiet child, on the whole, keeping himself to himself when in company and quietly playing in the corner while the adults talked. But he was always listening, always picking up new things. With Wyatt, Chris was more sure of himself. Confident.

"You can soon, Chrissy. Real soon. Then I can teach you magic! You want to learn magic like me and Mummy and Daddy, don't you?"

Piper smiled at that. Since a rather unfortunate incident involving a lawnmower and a cat, which resulted in a ruined neighbourhood and numerous mind wiped innocents, they had bound Chris' powers until he was old enough to learn magic. It had always been a sore spot for her, watching Chris marvel at his brother's prowess in telekinesis while he could only orb short distances.

"Me'll le'rn magik?"

Chris whispered in awe, gazing up with wide eyes as Wyatt nodded eagerly. Piper pulled her day bag higher up her shoulder as her smile widened, watching Wyatt finish his conquest with a flourish.

"Yeah! But not today, okay? Today you hafta go to kindergarten, and not fuss for Mummy. Alright?"

Chris considered for a moment, then nodded slowly, biting his bottom lip before murmuring quietly:

"O'kay, Wy."

Piper leapt at the opportunity, and clambered to her feet, making sure Wyatt had his book bag and Chris was keeping a firm grip on Strawberry, his cuddly toy horse.

"Alright then, troops. Chris, take my hand, and Wyatt's, that's it. Ready, darling? Alright. Lets go."

She said cheerfully, as her eldest son orbed them all to magic school. She heaved a deep sigh of relief, thankful to have escaped the screaming fits which had escalated over the past few days.

They emerged into the hallway beside Paige's new office, which had once been Gideon's. Piper tightened her grip around her youngest son's hand and walked cheerfully down the corridor to the brightly coloured door labelled 'kindergarten 2'.

She knocked twice, and cheerful woman named Miss Wheel opened the door, curly blonde hair bouncing as she smiled at them all.

"Piper, so glad you could make it! After yesterday we were a little worried about Chris here. How are you, pumpkin? Were you good for Mummy?"

She said, leaning down to address Chris. Chris huddled against his mother, half hiding behind her legs, and said shyly:

"Me be good fo' Mummy too-day, Miss-es Weel. Wy says he'es gonna wead me Puff at lun'time!"

Miss Wheel blinked, then her smile widened, and she ruffled Wyatt's hair affectionately as she exchanged a meaningful look with Piper.

"Oh, Wyatt dear! How lovely of you to offer! Feel free to pop in any time, any time at all."

Piper pried her hand from her youngest's and guided him over to Miss Wheel, who took it and smiled encouraging down at the child. Wyatt hesitated, then moved forward too, looking uncertainly from his mother to his little brother.

"Ok, Wyatt, time for class. You don't want to keep Auntie Paige waiting, do you? Say goodbye now, boys."

Chris immediately tumbled forwards, launching himself into his brother's waiting arms. Wyatt couldn't help but smile, hugging his brother tightly back as Chris whispered into his chest.

"By by, Wy. Me'll miss you."

"Me too, Chrissy. Promise you'll be good?"

Chris drew back, nodding vigorously, and smiled widely.

"I pwomise!"

"Ok. I'll see you at lunch time."

Wyatt gave him one last hug, before drawing away and stepping back to stand in the doorway as his mother hurried forwards to bid her youngest goodbye. She kissed his cheek and held him in a tight embrace.

"Goodbye, darling. Be good like your brother says. I'll be back for you soon, okay? I love you, peanut."

"Luv you too, Mummy. Me sorry for be-ing bad."

"Oh, sweetheart, you weren't bad. Just a little stubborn, just like your Daddy. Have a lovely time. Off you go!"

Piper took Wyatt's hand and led him out, and they both smiled and waved as Chris spread his palm in a sad goodbye, watching them go. He continued to watch them until Miss Wheel shut the door behind him, and for a moment, mother and son stood quietly in the corridor outside.

Piper reached down and pulled her eldest into a gentle embrace, trying to keep her voice steady;

"Wyatt, honey, I am SO, so proud of you. You're such a good big brother."

Wyatt swelled with pride despite himself, muttering a half hearted:

"Mummy! Yuck!"

As she kissed him on the cheek, but she could tell by his smile that he wasn't really upset. She held him close for a moment, thinking, and when he pulled away she was surprised to see a frown on his face.

"Mummy?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

Wyatt hesitated, and then fixed her with a sombre look, crossing his arms over his chest as he spoke carefully and deliberately.

"What Chris said about Daddy...not keeping his promises? He was right. Daddy doesn't."

Piper placed a hand on his shoulder, and thought for a moment, before answering in a gentle but firm tone as he frowned at her.

"Your Daddy tries his very best to come see you and Chris as much as possible, darling, he's just...always busy. And that's okay, because when you've got such an important job, you're allowed to be busy. And remember, always, that Daddy and I love you. And even when he's not around, Daddy doesn't stop loving you both. And that's what matters."

Wyatt blushed slightly, taking her offered hand, and walking slowly with her along the corridor for a while. They walked in silence, but when they reached his own classroom, Wyatt stopped and turned once more to say quietly:

"I know that, Mummy. I know that Daddy can't come all the time and that he loves us. But does Chris?"

She blinked in shock, as Wyatt gave her a brief hug around the middle before reaching for the handle to the door, gazing sadly at her as he slipped inside and pushed it shut behind him.

For a long while Piper stood still in the corridor, her eldest son's last words echoing over and over like a mantra inside her head. Eventually she sighed, and turned, walking back down the corridor to find a place where she could consult her wayward husband in peace.

Of course Chris knew his Daddy loved him. Leo told him so every time he saw him. Surely that was enough. Surely he understood. Didn't he?

**A/N: Next chapter, Leo and Paige make an appearance, as requested! It's only a short time on from this one, where Wyatt is seven and Chris is nearly five. This chapter was more a set up for the next, but it's cute, nonetheless. I hope you enjoyed it!**

**Feedback is love, as you know, so please review! Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry this took so long, I've been really busy…as ever, thanks so much for reviewing, you guys! Please keep it up! **

**Disclaimer: If you think I own Charmed, I strongly suggest you consult the nearest psychiatrist immediately for all our sakes…**

**Summary: The first time Wyatt saw his little brother, his nose wrinkled in distaste. But he learned to like him. Actually, he learned to love him. brotherly love fic**

**Wyatt is now seven and Chris is nearly five. Enjoy! This is the first part of a two part scenario.**

**_5._**

_**When the bough breaks**_

"Wy! Wait! My shoo-lace…"

Wyatt rolled his eyes, lugging his school rucksack higher on his shoulders, and traipsed slowly back down the corridor to where his little brother was hastily bent over his feet. He glanced down at his brightly coloured watch, frowning.

"Chris, we're already late."

"I know! Shut up! M'trying to con-cen-trate."

Wyatt couldn't help but smile as he looked down at his brother. Chris' still chubby face was scrunched up in concentration, a small pink tongue poking out of the side of his mouth. He fumbled with the coarse string laces on his newly bought sneakers, clearly not having much progress.

Wyatt sighed resignedly, knelt down on his knees, and batted his brother's hands gently away.

"Here, I'll do it."

Chris beamed gratefully up at him, as Wyatt tied his shoelaces neatly, before frowning uncertainly.

"Thanks, Wy! But…didn't Mummy say I had to learn it myself?"

Wyatt nodded, pulling the knot tight and checking none of the ends were loose, before straightening up. Immediately, Chris seized his free hand tightly in his, using it to pull himself up. They began walking down the corridor, Chris looking expectantly up at Wyatt, who took a moment to consider his answer.

"Well, we're late, and Mummy's not here. I'll teach you to do it properly later, if you like. Then you can show Mummy."

Chris smiled widely, skipping a few steps in his elation, and Wyatt smiled in amusement. Chris had always been the more expressive of the two of them, and quite often showed his emotions with great enthusiasm; jumping up and down with excitement, and wailing bitterly in sadness.

"And Daddy?"

Wyatt halted abruptly, startled, and Chris gave a little yelp of surprise at the movement as he slammed into his brother's leg. He shook Wyatt's hand gently, a concerned.

"Wyatt?"

Wyatt smiled reassuringly, squeezing his brother's little hand in his, and continued walking as he answered softly:

"Yes, and Daddy."

Their Father tried so terribly hard to be around, he truly did, and Wyatt knew it. But still, he could never quite dismiss his frequent absence. It was wearing on Wyatt, when every morning his little brother would ask him where 'Daddy' was, if he was coming today, if not, when would he?

After all, Wyatt had had two years more of his Father than Chris had. Chris had once looked at a picture of their Father, squinted, and seemed to take a while to recognise him. That had shocked Wyatt, and he had promptly arranged them all to go out on a weekend trip to the beach.

"Well, now, here's a surprise! Late _again_, nephews, blessed be?"

Wyatt was jolted out of his reverie as a tall figure rounded the corner, long black robes swaying around fashionable jeans and a comfortable striped halter neck. His Aunt's twinkling dark eyes smiled down at him, and Wyatt grinned.

"Auntie Paige!"

Paige was immediately attacked with two brightly coloured blurs, one of which threw its arms around her waist, and the other which latched onto her leg. She pretended to stagger, laughing.

"Alright, alright! Come on, you two. Wyatt, you remembered you've got a field trip today, right?"

Wyatt nodded, prying Chris away from his Aunt and holding his hand tightly in his own. Recently, Mummy had been trying very hard to get Chris to gain independence from his brother. Neither Wyatt or Chris liked this idea, at all. Chris especially not. He had taken to orbing after Wyatt, whenever he was away from him for too long a length of time.

"Yeeeeeees, Auntie Paige. To the zoo."

Chris immediately perked up, tugging on Wyatt's arm, looking wide eyed from his Aunt to his brother.

"Wy's going to the zoo? Can I go too?"

There was a hesitant pause, and Chris subtly jutted out his bottom lip, widening his eyes as far as he could. He had long since mastered the 'puppy dog' eyes look which could make most anyone melt…even Wyatt, at times. Unfortunately, the exceptions happened to be his mother, and…Auntie Paige.

"No, Chris, sweetie. You're not in Wyatt's class. You can go one day, though, or maybe get Mummy to take you?"

Chris' grip on Wyatt's hand grew painfully tight, and Wyatt sighed as he felt an explosion imminent. Chris' eyes clouded over with petulant frustration, and he abruptly stamped his foot against the floorboards of the corridor.

"But I wanna go with Wy!"

Paige leant down so she was on a level with her youngest nephew, resisting the urge to smile at his petulant expression. Little Chris was quite the stubborn young man when he wanted to be. He probably got it from his mother.

"What about class, Chris? You can go with all your friends instead, when you're all old enough."

Wyatt shifted uncomfortably, and shared a meaningful glance with his brother. Chris did not fit in as easily as Wyatt tended to. He was shy, and more content to sit quietly by himself than to join in with the games the other children played. In fact, when he had first entered nursery, he would sneak out of the room and toddle into Wyatt's class, in which he would sit on his brother's lap and refuse to leave. Once he learned to orb, it only made it easier for him to escape.

"I don't like them. They're mean. I wanna go with Wy."

"Chris, honey-"

Chris shook his head violently from side to side, his dark hair flailing out around his reddening face. Wyatt flinched as his little brother exclaimed loudly:

"NO! I go with Wy."

Wyatt hastily clasped his brother's shoulder, and Chris looked up at him, giving him a look which was half angry, half despairing. Sort of like the look their Mother have him when he was being stubborn. Chris looked so like their Mother, at times it was creepy.

"Chris, I'll ask Mummy to take us this Saturday. Just you and me and Mummy, ok? And I'll bring you back something. How's that?"

Chris shrugged Wyatt's hand off his shoulder, frowning.

"I'm not a little kid anymore Wy, I don't wanna-_want_ go with Mummy. I wanna go with you."

Paige opened her mouth to exclaim something, but stopped short as she glanced up at the large clock on the wall above them. She gasped, and checked her wrist watch, just to make doubly sure.

"Oh God, look at the time…come on Wyatt, the class has already gone. I'll orb you there. Chris, sweetie, off you go to class now, alright?"

Paige touched a brief hand to his cheek, then took Wyatt's shoulder, steering him away. Chris started forwards, eyes wide with desperation, then narrowing in determination.

"But-"

He grabbed Wyatt's sleeve, exclaiming, but was cut off by his brother;

"Be good, Chris."

Chris let go, glaring furiously, and protested loudly;

"Hey! Don't talk like Mummy! I…"

But they both had already disappeared in a shower of bright blue orbs, Wyatt giving him an apologetic look, Auntie Paige smiling and waving a cheerful, oblivious farewell.

Chris stood perfectly still and alone in the corridor for a moment, caught between wanting to stamp his feet, or curling into a ball on the floor. After a few moments of angry breaths, he chose the latter; he cried out angrily, although he knew they could no longer hear him.

"You'll see! I'll get there! I'm gonna go with Wy, you can't stop me."

He lugged his school knapsack higher on his back, and huffed in determination. He spun about in a circle, took a deliberate step forward, before he hesitated, and deflated a little.

"I'll orb…but…I don't know where it is…um…"

He murmured to himself, thoughtfully, disgruntled. He pushed his hair from his eyes and frowned hard as he thought, face scrunching up with the effort.

"Ah!"

He punched the air, and spun back around, tearing down the corridor towards his Aunt's office. He glanced quickly around, before slipping inside the door, which was luckily ajar. Once inside, he stared wildly about, before snatching a small leaflet up from the desk in the centre of the room.

He smiled triumphantly down at it; it was brightly coloured, with a picture of a giraffe on the front, smiling cheerfully. Large, bold lettering at the top proudly proclaimed:

**Abra-Cadabra-Zoo, Town Centre. **

Chris beamed, clutching the leaflet tightly between sticky fingers. He looked nervously to the door.

"Auntie Paige'll be back soon. I'll hide…then I'll go. Yeah."

He headed out into the hallway once more, and looked around for a suitable hiding spot. He selected a nice large, but protected space behind a towering potted plant, and settled himself comfortably down, ready to wait.

He frowned, a thought suddenly occurring to him.

"But I still can't orb, cos I dunno how to get to…New York…oh…"

He concentrated hard, and, unbidden, his Mother's voice sounded in his mind. It was a memory, of sorts, but blurred…only a vague recollection. He could remember the sound of her voice, smells, blurred dull colours, Wyatt's face leaning over him…it seemed so huge.

'_Even though we bound his powers, he'll still be able to orb and use non-active powers…so he can make up spells when he's older.'_

He can't have been older than a baby in this memory, because he was obviously in a cradle at the time. He really shouldn't have been able to remember that far back. Still, Chris wasn't complaining. The beginnings of an idea had formed in his mind.

"Spells…"

He muttered to himself, quietly. Mummy, and all the grown ups used spells all the time. They…rhymed, that was it. The words on the end of each sentence sounded the same. A small smile began to creep across Chris' face, as he concentrated, immersing himself once more in the memory; his Mother's voice was clearer now, chanting:

'_Powers forever dwelling within, _

_Be bound, now, by your own kin, _

_Sleep within till the time is right, _

_Hinder us, hear our plight.'_

He frowned. There were far too many long, old fashioned words for him to understand properly, but powers had been mentioned. And, oddly, sleeping. Chris sighed, and shrugged his shoulders lightly. There would be time enough to think on it later. For now, he had to get to the zoo. Get to Wyatt.

"Ok…um…uh…"

He cleared his throat nervously, and placed the leaflet with the picture of the zoo down on the floor in front of him. He clasped his hands, and stared hard at it. Perhaps seeing the place would help, at least a little.

"Powers sitting inside…um…me, take me where I want to…see! Yeah."

He gasped as he felt a tingling sensation envelop his entire body, pulsing gently from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. He felt suddenly light, and the corridor faded around him in a roaring whirl of colours and shapes. After a moment, the world slid back into place around him, and he landed sprawled in a heap on paved flooring.

Groaning softly, he sat up, and looked around, wide eyed. He rubbed his aching head, still feeling very dizzy, squinting in the now blinding light. Slowly, a wide grin spread across his face, and he scrambled up to his feet, giving an elated jump and punching the air above him.

"Oh, wow! I did it! YES!"

A large, brightly coloured arch spiralled high up above him, proudly proclaiming that Chris had arrived in precisely the centre of the picture on the leaflet. The ticket office was only a few metres away, and, standing impatiently in line beside his classmates, stood Wyatt.

"Wyatt!"

Chris cried out joyfully, lugging his knapsack up higher on his back and running over to greet his brother. Wyatt jumped slightly, snapping out of his bored reverie, and frowned, staring around.

"Funny, I could have sworn I heard-"

"BOO!"

He let out a strangled cry as something small and familiar slammed into his waist, almost knocking him clean over into the railing behind him. He was halfway through opening his mouth to mutter a curse, when he identified the offending projectile which was now firmly latched onto him.

"Chris! What…? How did you-!"

Chris let him go, grinning widely, and bounced on the balls of his feet excitedly, babbling.

"I casted a spell, all by myself!

Wyatt blinked, positive he had misheard. But…no. Surely that wasn't possible? Even he had never tried to cast a spell…and Chris was only...well, only a kid! He couldn't have. No.

"You…you…what? Chris…you're not saying you…you cast a spell? But how!"

Wyatt carefully steered them both out of line, and snuck around the back till they were hidden by a large tree. It was a stroke of luck that Auntie Paige had left, mere moments before Chris had…appeared.

"I made it up. I remembered what Mummy said to Auntie Paige and Auntie Phoebe aaaaaaages ago, and I made it up."

Wyatt's head was reeling with the wealth of information in those few simple sentences. Chris remembered the binding of his own powers, vaguely? But he had been barely two, then. Wyatt himself couldn't remember it very well.

He gathered his thoughts, and managed to give his brother a shaky smile. He worded his next few sentences carefully.

"Well, that's…um…great, Chris. But don't you think you should have stayed at school? What if something had gone wrong? What will Mummy say? What if you'd been hurt, and-"

Chris raised an eyebrow and folded his arms, looking uncannily like his Mother. He interrupted Wyatt mid-sentence, proclaiming in a confident tone:

"Don't be silly, Wy. If something had happened, you'd have come to get me."

He stated it as though it was simple fact, such was his conviction. Wyatt blinked, surprised, and really quite touched. Such innocence from his little brother was testimony to just how well he had sheltered Chris from the harsher side of the world. Nevertheless, Chris was getting older now. And such innocence could be dangerous when the world closed in; as it inevitably would.

"Chris, I…it's not that simple. Listen."

He bent down so that he was on a level, and spoke in a slightly shaky voice, but tried his best to remain calm. The full weight of realisation had begun to creep into his veins, making his head spin. If Chris was telling the truth…and he hardly ever lied, not to him, anyway…then any number of _terrible _things could have happened to him, had something gone wrong.

"Of course, if I know you were in danger, I would come at once…but a day will come when I can't, or I don't know…and then what?"

Wyatt swallowed; suddenly, the thought of what could have happened, and of losing Chris…seemed unbearable. The hand on his brother's shoulder suddenly tightened convulsively, and Chris yelped, trying to squirm away. Wyatt stared blankly into Chris' face, the utter terror and dizzying relief making his head spin.

"Wy, you're scaring me…"

Wyatt blinked, eyes returning focus, and clasped his brother tightly by the shoulders.

"Don't ever do something like that again! Not without…God…you could've been…that was so dangerous! Spells are dangerous. Magic is**_ dangerous._**"

Chris smacked his hand away, glaring, anger now filling his eyes. He backed away, partly afraid, partly frustrated, and more than a little hurt. After all, he had only done all this to be with Wyatt, like he used to. And now, Wyatt was reprimanding him, like a kid. He was only two years younger!

"Stop it! Just because you can use your powers, and I can't! Well, I'll show you! I'll show you all, you and Mummy, and Daddy too! Just you wait!"

He clenched his fists as he spoke, his anger filling him with the same odd, tingling feeling. He wished he was away from here. He wanted to go away. Far away. Yes. He had to get away…

"Chris, I…Chris, NO!"

Wyatt lunged forward, utter terror filling his stomach with lead. Just as his hand went to grasp his brother's shoulder, the small form disappeared in a blinding swirl of crystalline orbs.

**A/N: Oooh, a cliffhanger! Naughty me. Well, the second half should be up shortly, so keep your eyes open! What trouble can Chris get himself into in a zoo? Quite a bit! I almost feel sorry for Wyatt (winks)**

**Oh! Someone asked which timeline this is, the first or the altered. Well, I'm leaving that to be revealed later. Which do you guys think it is? I would like to hear your opinions!**

**Feedback is love, as you know, so please review! Thanks for reading!**


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